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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26487880">The Flow of Fire</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mistybubbles/pseuds/Mistybubbles'>Mistybubbles</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fallout: New Vegas</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>AtLA AU, Child!Courier, Gen, Non graphic violence, tags will update</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 11:15:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,894</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26487880</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mistybubbles/pseuds/Mistybubbles</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Life flows. That’s what his mother always taught him. It runs through the world and those that can direct its stream are those who are truly worthy of power. Nearly twenty years after the fall of the Enclave’s regime of glacial progress, Arcade’s all but left the teachings of the waterbending masters he once called family to become a healer for the Followers. Now with the world around him at the cusp of war, a strange meeting with a firebending girl and a world he was definitely not prepared for may just hold the key to solving this mess. For better or for worse.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Female Courier &amp; Arcade Gannon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Flow of Fire</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Cold water flowed. Soft and cool, surrounding his fingers and pouring through his being. It knitted and wove through the very fibers of his being, pulling from him and across the wounded flesh beneath his palms. The breathing that sputtered below him began to level, pain bleeding from the body and leaving peace in its wake. The soldier had been a bit more than bruised when they had drug him into the fort, soaking the cot through with blood and other foul liquids. </p><p>They normally would have called for someone else. Someone a bit more used to the day to day healing that went on in this place where men went to either walk again or die; not the miserable scientist out playing with the compositions of plants and how they might, might be used for a bit more than seasoning in a rather robust stew. But Julie had declared all-hands-on-deck and so he was here, pulling water and life-force through a rather nasty gash that would have been years of healing otherwise. He guided it, letting his bending flow through and around as skin pulled back together to form a tight seal, barely a scar left where near death had been. He’d been well taught.</p><p>“You are wasted in research” Julie laughed behind him, her own patient sporting a gash that was slowly knitting itself back together under the blue glow surrounding her hands. A more common technique, the water surrounding her fist providing the energy and hydration needed to speed up the healing process, cleaning as it went to prevent any infection. It would leave a nasty scar in its wake, but better than bleeding out from a head wound. Whatever these two had run into, it had to have some nasty claws. Or horns, whichever may be the case. These certainly weren’t the scorch-marks the Legion was infamous for spreading in their wake, burning and breaking in their effort to “cleanse” the region of all who stood against them and the regime they worshiped. No,  whatever did this lacked the finesse true torture took to accomplish. This, this was done out of anger. Anger and pain. “We could really use you out here more often”</p><p>“And give up my standing date with a cactus?” he chuckled, guiding the water back into the small bowl they’d provided him with, swirling it around lazily to force any impurities to the bottom. Thick red settled along its tin rim, building until the water in the middle ran pure in clean. He flicked his wrist, commanding the clear cool substance up and around his wrist before dumping what little of the soldier’s blood that had gathered down into the dirt, rinsing the tiny canister well under a small stream of blue before allowing the current around his hand to settle back in its once more. It was never good to mix blood between patients, even with healing water. Microscopic impurities could lead to fatalistic results if he wasn’t careful. There was so much they still didn’t know about bending. So much it could be used for. The thought sent a chill down his spine. He’d seen where that line of thinking led. Heaven help the next bastard that went down it. “Besides, we both know I have horrible bedside manner”</p><p>Julie laughed, releasing her own bending back into a copper cup, drying her hands on the hem of her white coat before turning her own materials over for him to purify. “Not lookin' to scoop one of these NCR boys off his feet?”<br/>
“Never was one for a man in uniform” he chuckled, shaking his head lightly. Not for an NCR one, anyway. And sure as hell not for the legion. “Besides, I highly doubt they are in any mood to wine and dine right now”</p><p>That much was for damn sure. The whole fort was packed with men and women varying stages of dying, each with long slashes that just didn’t seem to clot on their own. Horribly difficult to heal as well. Three had reopened in the past hour. Odd thing was, none of the soldiers could tell them exactly what hit them. Either it was invisible or really really good at playing hide and seek. No one seemed to have even caught a glimpse of it. Just kept rambling about overwhelming fear before being torn nearly to shreds. They’d lost quite a few of their number before making it back to the strip and into the fort. From what Arcade could tell, they were entirely without a commanding officer and had no directions on what to do next even if they managed to live through the night. Which, judging by the healer to patient ratio, most wouldn’t.</p><p>Not that the region was entirely stable even on a good day. Caesar and his army of firebending buffoons had made it nearly impossible for anyone to move around safely. Those poor souls who were born with the ability to create flame from their bare hands were quickly snatched and drafted without much of a choice in the matter. Those they came across that didn’t? Well, an army needed caretakers, didn’t they. People to fetch the food, bring the water, carry the stuff, get down on their knees and cover their heads as they were flogged for sport. Those sorts of things, really. Add in the rather annoying group of raiders closing in on them from all sides, a mechanical menace that watched them with securitrons, and every other sort of bad habit that could only be found in New Vegas, and you had something between variety and the worst headache of his life. </p><p>Arcade straightened his back and stretched for a minute. The whole blasted fort had worked through the night, himself included. Between the horribly wounded still trickling in from the battalion and the regularly wounded that came in a steady stream from New Vegas itself, none of them had managed more than a few moments of rest. Hell, he was pretty sure he caught Julie sleeping while healing a time or two. Not that he could blame her. The tent flap opened behind him, casting light much dimmer than he expected across the canvas walls as one of the guards strolled in. It must be later than he thought. The man was, well not particularly friendly, by any means. He’d seen him a time or two just before his normal shift started, one of the night guards who apparently hadn’t managed to catch a break either. He had, though it would seem, managed to catch a….child? One large hand was wrapped around the upper arm of a girl that couldn’t be more than twelve, blue eyes glaring up at her captor as she struggled in his grasp. She didn’t look injured, at least nothing more than her pride did. </p><p>“Evening Boris” Julie called out, crossing her arms over her chest. “Getting along well with the locals?” Boris looked down at the girl, loosening his hold on her arm. No reason to actually give the kid bruises. Freaking bouncers. </p><p>“She was trying to climb over the wall. Dunno why at this time of night.” The girl blew a raspberry at Boris in response, mouth setting into a rather impish pout Arcade was sure was well-practiced. Both doctors raised an eyebrow, glancing at each other from the corners of their eyes. Well. That was certainly news. The fort wasn’t exactly a heavily guarded armory or kitchen. They had medicines, true, but the healers did the majority of the work and you couldn’t exactly sneak one back over the wall. At least, not at her size. </p><p>The girl huffed and wrenched her arm from Boris’s grip. “Maybe I was just taking a shortcut inside.” Boris glanced at her with an unconvinced expression, not that it differed much from his everyday face. The man was a bit difficult to read. Whoever she was, she seemed less than impressed though. The girl did little more than roll her eyes. “What am I going to steal from here anyways? Lab coats?” She pointed at Arcade. The scientist pursed his lips, trying his best not to look terribly offended by what was clearly the truth. Oh to get singled out with the truth only a child could manage.</p><p>Julie sighed, shaking her head swiftly. “Ok Boris. You can go back to your post. I’ll handle it from here.” She looked down to meet the girl’s gaze, smiling in what most would assume to be a friendly expression if it weren’t for the sheer bewilderment still written across her face. “As for you- what’s your name hon’?”</p><p>“Miranda.” the girl muttered, rubbing her arm where she’d been dragged in. Not exactly a common name, by no means. But it didn’t exactly explain why she’d been attempting to scale the fort walls when the doors were wide open. Julie smiled softly, holding out her hand.</p><p>“Nice to meet you Miranda. I’m Julie” she offered in what was a clear attempt at an olive branch for the entire ridiculous situation. “And the unsociable one in the background is Arcade” Miranda stifled a snort. Arcade sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose underneath his glasses.</p><p> “Thanks Julie” he muttered, suddenly irritation bleeding into the two short words.</p><p> To exactly no one’s surprise, Julie continued to speak without acknowledging him further. “Do...you want to say why you climbed up the wall? The doors are wide open.”</p><p>Miranda simply shrugged. “I just felt like it.” she mused, lightly. Julie blinked, eyes going wide and Arcade stopped himself from laughing at the sheer absurdity of the situation. The middle of a blasted war and some twelve-year-old decided now is the perfect time to single handedly storm the fort? Of course. How rude of them to stop her. Miranda must have noticed their bewilderment, her gaze dropped to her feet as she toed at the dirt below them, “Well. I was lost. And walking down the street. And then I saw a two headed bear eat some people. And then I followed some soldier idiots here. And then I tried to set someone’s bag on fire and they yelled at me. And then I tried to climb the wall! What are you guys not following?” She tapped her foot out of annoyance.</p><p>The three of them shared a moment of silence before Arcade chuckled a little too loudly to break the silence. “No, I’m following you-” He paused for a moment as the information sank in.  “-wait actually I’m not. Did you try to commit arson?”</p><p>“More importantly,” Julie interrupted, shooting him a look that would have shamed anyone who actually gave a damn. And he was quickly falling out of that category today. “You saw a two-headed bear eating people?”</p><p>Miranda nodded, eyes lighting up at the chance. “Yeah, he was taking swipes at a couple of those NCR idiots. Managed to pin down a few and chomp on them.”</p><p>The two scientists shared a look at that, both conscious of the dying soldiers around them and the strange tales they would not have believed if they weren’t all covered in blood. </p><p>“Can you show us where?” he asked quietly</p><p>She nodded emphatically, grabbing the hem of his coat with a mischievous grin as she pulled him out of the tent. “Yep! Follow me!”</p>
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